But I’m not going to let that stop me.

This week’s Duane Reade Shopping assignment was supposed to be about bundling up for winter.  But all that happens to me when the cold weather blows, is that I want to leave the city, and head somewhere warm.  So though I went into the store thinking I would be scoping out hats, scarves and hand warmers, when I got there, all I could think was escape.

Luckily DR has plenty of travel supplies…so my fantasy of a warm winter getaway was good to go.

First of all, I love the little sample sizes of products.  When I was in middle school, I remember writing away for EVERYthing in the back of Seventeen Magazine.  Well DR has just about everything, too.  Perfectly sized for getting through security fast.

They also have a pretty impressive array of cosmetic bags – from the cutesy to the sophisticated.  At Duane Reade!  Who knew? I happen to like the polka dotted ones.  But the solids (except not in that green…ugh) are nice, too.

And then there’s the stuff to put in them.  I’d been looking for a pair of super low peds that wouldn’t show in my ballet flats that I wear all summer long, and I found ‘em here.  Score.

And I’m still not deep enough into my warm weather fantasy life to forget that in the summer, you have no coat to hide your figure flaws.  So I noticed this handy lump smoothing item.

Since my fantasy also includes air travel (first class, of course.  It’s MY fanstasy) I checked out the nifty airplane items – like the blow up neck pillow, the eye shades and the chargers of all kinds.

But once I left the store, and was hit with the reality of the weather , I realized that to really beat the heat, I could only go to one of two places: Fairway or Citarella.  Both conveniently located across the street.  Why there?  Because the only way to really deal with the cold is to make a nice hearty stew. So I did. Here’s the recipe:

Lamb Stew (adapted from Mark Bittman)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3.5 lbs. lamb shoulder, trimmed of extra fat and cut into stew-sized cubes

Salt and Pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 Bay leaf

1 Cinnamon Stick

2 star anise (optional – but good)

1 cup pearl onions (use frozen, it’s easier)

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 cup chopped dried dates

3 Tablespoons raisins

Parsley to garnish

1. Brown the meat in the olive oil over medium high heat, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.  You may have to do this in batches.  When they are all browned, return everything to the pan, add the chopped onion, and stir until the onions are soft. (Use a pot with a cover, you’ll need it later.)

2. Add  the next 5 ingredients and stir to blend.  Cover the pot and cook about 1hr, until the lamb is almost tender.  Add the figs and raisins, cook 20 minutes more, or until the lamb is super tender.

3. Garnish with the parsley and serve over a hearty noodle, like bow ties, orchiette, or wide egg noodles.  Tip: It’s best to wait and eat the stew the next day – rather than the day you cook it. That gives the flavors time to combine and penetrate the meat while in the rerfrigerator.

Sadly, the stew didn’t do the trick.  And I was left with having to go back to Duane Reade and buy this.

Bummer.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for CollectiveBias. #CBias The money spent and the opinions given are my own. #duanereade

You can see more photos from my trip – and check out the goods for yourself by clicking here.

If you grew up in New York, or if you’ve been here more than 20 years, or if you’ve seen any Scorcese movie made in the 1970′s, then you remember when Times Square was seedy.  You remember – maybe even with fondness -  the way there were creepy men hanging around the peep shows, how Robin Byrd was headlining at Show World.  You remember that certain combination of grime, sleaze and glitz that was Times Square.

Now, Times Square isn’t gritty, it’s glitzy and glamorous.  Now there are brand name stores, like the new American Eagle Outfitters, and Sephora, and the flagship Toys R Us complete with indoor ferris wheel.

It’s a bit disconcerting.

And that is kind of like Duane Reade.  For decades, Duane Reade, a NYC chain of pharmacy/snack/drug store/convenience stores, was famously – oh, how can I put this kindly – seedy.  Oh, we all shopped there.  Duane Reade had everything. Need Shampoo?  You’ve got it.  Need a mop? Check.  Need bandaids, aspirin, Leggs pantyhose in a plastic egg, pork rinds, Spam in a can? Duane Reade was the place to go.

But it was also famous for being maybe not the most service oriented place.  Maybe not the cleanest. Definitely not glam.

My how times have changed.

Fancy Schmancy Fragrance at DR on 72nd and Broadway

And while there’s a part of me that thinks it’s a bit sad – the Walgreens-i-fication of the chain has taken out the New Yorkiness of the place (Walgreen recently bought all 257 DR stores for $1.1 billion)  – it didn’t stop me from heading there to do a little bit of last minute stocking stuffer (well, you can’t stuff a Menorah) shopping at my newly glammed up DR.

The first thing you notice when you walk in, is the case of fresh donuts. Now, the old DR didn’t have fresh anything.  So this is a surprise. Next, is all the private label stuff: Delish is the brand. Then, you see that the linoleum floors are not blackened from years of neglect.  The place kind of sparkles. It’s sleek.

But I’m not here to gawk, I’m here to shop.  So upstairs I go.  The store is heavily staffed.  People actually smile and greet you, offer you help.  It’s like an alternate DR universe.  And the stuff they have!  I see a display of Demeter fragrances, Klorane products, a hip line of cosmetics called Pop.  I choose some sparkly nail polish and even more sparkly lip gloss for my teen niece. One down.

There’s a brow bar.  A sign announcing a doctor on site. I grab some needed tin foil and some plastic hangars.

For my own daughter, I peruse the fan mags. She loves J-14.  That’s going to be good for the plane ride for our vacation. I

throw it into my cart. I feel guilty that we’re leaving  the dog behind, and since he’s adopted, I figure he’s not Jewish, so I buy him a Santa Dog Toy. Gift cards are always good.  Two itunes cards for my two kids, and one for the college nephew.  Some sunscreen for the trip. Done.

On my way out, I buy some soft chocolate chip cookies to bring to pick up. There’s sushi – but frankly, that scares me.  There’s an artisinal beer bar (no, I’m not kidding), there is fresh looking fresh produce – nothing withered – I checked. They even have a Facebook Page and a Twitter account.

It’s kind of freaking me out. Where is the skeevy looking box of snacks?  Whence the surly clerk?

I’m cheered by the fact that even though they seem to have gotten everything right, I still find one thing wrong – we’re on the Upper West Side of Manattan – Jew territory – and yet there is not even one Hannukah anything. No decorations.  No plastic dreidels. Nothing.

It’s not grit or New York attitude – but it will have to do.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study forCollectiveBias. #CBias The money spent and the opinions given are my own. #duanereade

You can see more photos from my trip – and check out the glam for yourself by clicking here.

Me in a Size Four! With Nicole, Alicia, and Carrie at the MomTrends Event

Yesterday, dear reader, I left off my tale of blogger-woe at the point at which I had vanquished my underwhelming-techie self over at Qualcomm, only to find myself oversized for Lands End.

A breif recap: I went to a Qualcomm super techie press conference.  I am not even a sub-super techie.  But I figured it out. Yay me.  Then, I left there and went straight to the MomTrends Lands End holiday party where I should have been totally in the zone – instead, I was in the the petite department.  That pretty much brings you up to date. So what did I do next?

Lucikly, Nicole, MomTrends herself (and an actual size 2) had hired stylists and they went to work. (Luckily, too, I had a pair of Spanx in my bag. I’m nothing if not prepared) I squeezed into the Spanx, into the size 4 dress, donned a blazer to cover the worst of it, and a size too-big (but super duper cute) Lands End riding boots to distract from the worst of it, and walked the runway like a champ.

A champ who couldn’t move her arms too far in front of her body…but still.

And what did I take away from these two seemingly disparate events?

1. That I can understand tech speak if I just listen hard enough, and brush up on my metaphorical Swahili.

2. That it kinda does matter who powers your smart phone, and maybe I should start paying attention.

3. That Lands End makes  suprisingly sophisticated housewares like Mercury glass candle holders, birch bark candles, and hand knit animals.

4. That Lands End Canvas line is (gasp) kinda hip.

and most importantly, that

5. Lands End has taken vanity sizing to new levels of vanity. and I love them for it.  Because Vanity Sizing or no,  I can’t help but be thrilled that I fit into a size four.  I will take that to my GRAVE, people!  A size four! Vanity sizing works!  I felt fabulous.

(The terrific make up by Evy Drew didn’t hurt either.)

And there you have it.  From Tech geek to fashion floozy. A day in the(blogging) life of this NYC Blogger.

Everyone knows what the movie ratings mean: G means it’s for everyone. Nothing scary, nothing violent, no bad language or nudity. PG means it’s OK for older kids, but there might be some not-too-gory violence, and some scary bits. Any bad language would be TV bad…not street bad. And so on. But do you really know what the ESRB ratings mean? Do you even know what ESRB stands for? If you’re planning on rushing out on Black Friday to buy your kids the latest and greatest video games, there’s a lot about the ESRB you should know.

ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) is a non-profit group designed to be a resource for parents, helping them to navigate the world of gaming and ensure they make age-appropriate, informed choices for their kids. ESRB ratings are on just about every game package. But what do they really mean?

Say you’re in a store, you see a game that’s rate,Teen. According to the ESRB, it could have gotten that rating for any one of these reasons:
“…content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor,

Image via Wikipedia

minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.”

The thing is, what bothers me (violence) may not be the same thing that bothers you. (nudity? language?). So how do you know why the game got the rating it did so that you can decide whether or not to get it for your child? With the ESRB’s nifty new app, that’s how.

Here’s how it works, in the store, you use your phone to take a picture of a video game box, and within seconds the ESRB sends you (no charge) all the “nuts and bolts” facts about the game. Not reviews, mind you, but facts about why the game received the rating it did.

“This new rating search app puts all this information at parents‟ fingertips when they need it most, right at the store.” says
ESRB president Patricia Vance “It’s a powerful tool that will help assure parents that the games they give as gifts are not only fun but also appropriate for their children.”

The app is available for free at the itunes store. And I, for one, know that I’ll get it and use it. Why? Because in the incredibly fast-moving world of gaming, there’s no way I can keep track of everything. Now, I won’t have to.

Article first published as Shopping for Kids Games? There’s an App for That! on Technorati.

That’s the mantra of many a woman who grew up in New York.  For us, (OK, for mostly Jewish women of a certain age) Loehmann‘s was the only place to shop. There, in the racks and racks of schmattas lay untold designer treasures — at 50-75% off retail. It was like Mecca for Jews.  When I was a teenager, a trip to Loehmann’s communal dressing room was an experience, a right of passage, and a somber foreshadowing of what my lithe, firm body would someday become.

But Loehmann’s taught me about more than sagging flesh and bat wings, it taught me to Never Pay Retail.  A rule I have lived by to this day.  And not just at Loehmann’s.  I have an impressive collection of Missoni - a coat, two blazers, two dresses and more — all bought at a fraction of their original price at Filene’s Basement (now all but ruined by it’s acquisition by Syms.  Boo Hoo.) I have Sigerson Morrison pumps for which I paid $40.  Channel flats that were $95.  Both from the now defunct (and sorely, sorely misses) discount shoe store Danbar.

And yet, I never applied the never pay retail rule to grocery shopping.  Until now.  Because now, there’s a BJ’s nearby.  I may never pay grocery retail again!

I have been to Costco.  I like Costco.  But I live in a Manhattan (read small) apartment, and Costco only sells MASSIVE sizes of everything. BJ’s, on the other hand, sells NORMAL SIZES of the things you love.  They even make an effort to support local businesses by offering locally made baked goods in their stores. They even take coupons!  Regular cut ‘em out of the newspaper coupons.

It’s kind of awesome.

And at the blogger event they held last week, I learned that they also have some pretty nice gifts to give.  Like electronics, and housewares, and gift baskets, and toys. (A review of the toy they gave me (full disclosure) will be up after the Thanksgiving weekend.) All at significantly lower prices than grocery and department stores. My favorite thing they showed us that day?  Living Home Holiday Handcrafted Gift Tags.  They are GORGEOUS.  (And not all of them are Christmassy.  They are gift-generic) and you get 60 for $7.99.

So: cheaper food, inexpensive gifts, some local fare.  What could be bad?

Well, from now on, when I think about BJ’s, all I’ll think is…what was I doing all these years, paying….retail?!  It’s like I’ve been a traitor to my own motto.  And I never even realized it until now.

Take up the cause: Never pay retail!

I won’t.

I had a great time re-connecting with and/or (oops! slash alert!) meeting some very cool blogging moms, like CultureMom, Marinka, Linsey Krolick (finally!) and Mastermind Mommy I also got to meet a lot of sponsors who are interested in forging relationships with Mom bloggers.  And that’s where the difficult part comes in.  If I mention and link to all the companies that were there, will you automatically assume that I’m only doing it as a sort of tit for tat? And if I don’t, am I being an ungrateful blogger?

One thing I could do is write about companies that were there, but didn’t give me anything.  Like the people from Taga Bikes The have what might possibly be the coolest stroller I have EVER seen.  It’s a bike! No! It’s a stroller! No! It’s both! My kids are ten, and I wanted to win this thing.  It’s just that cool.  And in the case of this particular company, I don’t see much of a problem promoting them.  My kids are well past stroller age and I am well past baby-making age, so there really isn’t a whole lot these people can do for me.  I have no conflict of interest or disclosures to make. I just liked the thing.

I feel the same way about Mabel’s Labels.  A small company co-founded by Julie Cole a truly lovely person who I’d like to help out.  The labels are cute, and though I have not tried them, from what I hear, they really really work  (lots of mom bloggers use them).  She even makes machine washable name tags that stick on!  No sewing or ironing!!  As a mother of two kids about to go to sleepaway camp — it’s like a gift!

BitMoms (a major sponsor of the event) gives parents a place to go for internet safety tips for themselves and their kids.  Writing about them as a resource can only be good.  Plus, I’ve been using their BitDefender anit-spyware/anti-virus software since last fall (bought and paid for, thank you) and I can tell you – it is the LEAST intrusive anti-virus program I have ever used.  I was so sick of all those pop-ups from the other guys.

iGo was there, too.  (Disclosure:  they gave out a free phone charger.)  This is a green company that makes charger strips that turn off the items you select when they’re not in use for a while.  No more need to go around unplugging everything all the time to save energy. I’d mention them even if I didn’t get a charger. It’s green, it’s easy..and well, why not?

But what about companies with which I have a real relationship, like Nintendo?  Over the years they’ve sent me both hardware and software…a lot of it.  And a few weeks ago, Nintendo threw a party at my house to showcase their relationship with Netflix (you can stream Netflix movies to your TV through the Wii – no extra charge and no discs to keep track of.) I haven’t written much about it, because I feared it would sound like a paid blog post.  Which I guess it is…but only sorta…because I am under no obligation to write anything.  They take their chances.  They hope that I will.

Thing is, it was a really fun party and I did learn all kinds of cool stuff about the Wii that I didn’t know — like the fact that you can get news from it.  And movies.  And the local weather.  They showed me how to download games from my Nintendo points card. I’ve had Wii points in a drawer for two years that I never redeemed because I couldn’t figure out how to do it. They entertained the many, many children who were here with games and prizes.  They made really, really nice goody bags for me and my friends.

Why wouldn’t I want to write about it?  Well, because I worry that doing so makes me a shill.

When I wrote and produced tv promos for all those years, I never wondered if, because I was being paid to promote shows I might not have liked all that much, I was misleading people.  I mean, how many Lifetime movies about women in peril can you promote and still be sincere?  I was being insincere all the time!  I wrote promos for A Current Affair! (yes, I am that old) But this whole blog world is a new world. Selfish Mom seems to have it down.  Her disclosure page is so complete, no one could question her integrity.

I hope that my readers trust that I wouldn’t write about anything that I didn’t believe in.  Maybe the Nintendo people have given me lots of product, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Wii has changed me from being against all screen-based games, into thinking they can be great. Not all of them.  I don’t particularly like the games that my kids can play while they’re sitting on the couch.  I don’t like the games that put them into semi-comatose mode.  But there are lots of  Wii games that get them get up, interacting, and moving around.  Even the new Harry Potter Lego game (my son is obsessed with the whole Wii Lego franchise) engages kids.  Two can play at once.  And there are storylines to read (read!), and logic puzzles to solve. My favorite thing? Players can drop in and drop out whenever.  So I can play with my kid for a minute and stop without him screaming about having to finish a level.

I like Wii.  I might not have as much cool Wii and Ds stuff if Nintendo’s PR people didn’t send it me — but I might write about it anyway.  Just like I write about other experiences I’ve had that have nothing to do with PR or freebies or anything of the sort.  And let’s face it. for most of us, Wii’s and PSP’s (not that I know what that is!), and computer games like Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters…well, they’re all a part of our lives.

And that’s what I write about.  My life.

I’ll keep on disclosing who gave me what.  And I’ll stick to my “if you don’t have anything nice to say…” mantra. (Except when I think a product is dangerous, or truly evil, and then I’ll say whatever.) And I’ll hope that you’ll all believe what I say, whether I got something for free or not.

The Sleek Dermatologica Store

I have often been annoyed at the fact that while I spend a fair amount of time writing this blog, I earn a whole lotta nothing for doing so. My friend from Beccarama told me that her husband says that there’s no way a whole bunch of men would be writing all of this stuff for diapers bags. They would have figured out how to make money out of this blogging thing by now. Or they would have stopped.

Occasionally, however, some little extra comes along that makes it all worthwhile. For me, that little extra was a free mini spa treatment at the slick flagship Dermalogica store in SOHO. (And that’s the full disclosure part: They invited me down, gave me a glass of water, a tour of the small but super sleek space, a mini facial, and a bag of sample size goodies from their own line.)

The reason this particular freebie made me feel like the blogging isn’t all for naught, is that it came just before my 45th birthday. (thank you, thank you. no gifts, please.) And you know what happens after 40, don’t you?  Every year the day after your birthday, you notice a new physical flaw.  The day after my fortieth, I noticed my first age spot. The day after my forty-first: two little creases between my brows.  Forty second? Wrinkly knees.

I wasn’t exactly looking forward to 45.  So anything that promised to pamper me and improve my skin at the same time was time well spent. Plus,  my little Dermalogica experience, was a mini treatment – what they call a Microzone treatment, – and it lasted only 20 minutes.  To some, that might be enough, but I’ve never been one of those people who could spa for hours on end.  I don’t want people poking and prodding me (however skillfully) for more than about — well – 20 minutes.   If you want the full hour long thing, they do that too — and in a super cool looking Pod.”" (no kidding!)  But in terms of time and lack of being poked-ness, the microzone thing rocks.

Dermalogica offers several different targeted microzone treatments (this picture to the right is where you get them. If you want privacy – it’s not for you. But it’s just your face. Get over it!):

• Flash exfoliation / resurface, smooth, brighten
• • Eye rescue / brighten, firm, revitalize
• • Lip renewal / smooth your smile
• • Blackhead relief / clear and prevent breakouts
• • Rapid spot clearing / speedy breakout recovery
• • Hand repair / heal rough hands
• • Men’s skin fitness / make shave problems history

I chose the Flash Exfoliation.  But there was no rubbing and scrubbing here.  There was a lot of talk about cell rejuvenation, and vitamin C production, and the effect of gamma rays on man in the moon marigolds. (Ok, maybe not that, but a lot of scientific skin talk that made me want to respond with one big “whaaaaa?”) And there was a lot of extremely gentle massaging with the either lightly scented or completely unscented (not unscented which really means chemically smelling, but REALLY unscented) Dermalogica products.

I remember once when I went to a Yoga retreat in upstate New York, my roommate telling me that she didn’t believe in facials. What, like they’re the tooth fairy or something?  But I sort of agreed.  It’s nice to be massaged and coddled, but does it really make a difference?  In a word: yes.  I’ve already written about my (not at all freebie related) Avon Regenerist products doing wonders for my eyes, but this facial just put me over the edge: I’m a believer.

After it was over, and for the few days since, my skin looks brighter and clearer, and just plain better.  Why, I might even say that I don’t look a day older than 44.

My friend (and prom date) Billy Kolber, from Billy Knows Best, thinks otherwise.  He’s been an Avon Man for years, (f you click over to his site, he happens to have an Avon post up right now!) and he insists that Avon spends more on product research than just about anyone, and their products are therefore more effective and better overall. Plus, they give a lot back to women and the community.  Not bad.

Anyway, because Billy really does know best a lot of the time, I decided to try out Avon’s latest best product ever (they seem to call every new product the best one ever).  It’s called Reversalist, and here’s what Avon has to say about it on their website.

“…wrinkles are a result of micro-injuries to the skin, so AVON studied how skin heals. As part of the repair process, the body produces Activin. 5 groundbreaking years in development , exhaustive research, testing & review has resulted in an unprecedented discovery by AVON scientists, how to activate this key repair molecule. Formulated with Activinol Technology to help reactivate skin’s repair process to recreate fresh skin & help dramatically reverse visible wrinkles….”

First off, may I just say: Avon people: you need a proof reader, or at least someone with minimal grammatical knowledge writing your stuff.  The little paragraph above has a few weird punctuation things, and the part of it I didn’t use has such an awful, incomprehensible  sentence in it that I’m hoping it was just an typing error.  Seriously Avon — you’re huge. Spend a few bucks for someone with a college degree.

But I digress.

Bottom line: I bit the bullet and bought the four products that are the base of the Reversalist system:  Serum, Day Cream, Night Cream, and Eye Cream, and I really do see a difference.  My skin immediately felt incredibly smooth.  Weirdly smooth.  But good.  That degree of smoothness didn’t last forever, but I think that for at least several hours after applying it, my skin has a sort of sleek feeling that I’m sure it once had, but I was too young to appreciate!

But the biggest thing is the eye cream.  The thing that’s upsetting me the most lately (skin wise, anyway) is how splotchy I’ve become. Nothing says aging hag more than a bunch of brown spots on your face. And my eyes?  I look like I’m wearing permanent brown eyeshadow….and not in a good way. After three weeks of religiously using the products, I can honestly say, the discoloration on my lids is noticeably better. (at least to me) The giant age spot on my nose?  Not so much.  But I’ll take what I can get, and brighter eyes make your whole face look younger.

As for wrinkles, I guess I can’t really say.  I’m not particularly wrinkled (finally, an upside to having oily skin and acne in my teen years!) but I do think that overall, my skin just looks and feels…better.  My neck is pretty much past redemption – but that’s what turtlenecks and scarves are for.

I do find that a lot of products work for a while, and then as your skin gets used to them, they don’t work anymore (totally unscientific, just how I think it happens).  So it’s possible that in three months, I’ll be right back where I started.  But for now: this stuff works.  Really.

When I bought it, it was a starter kit, but I had to buy full sized products.  I just checked the website, and they are selling a sample size starter kit with everything but the serum.  So why not give it a shot?  For $10 it isn’t a big risk, and you’ll get enough product to see if it works for you.

Oh, and one more thing, just to be clear:  I didn’t get ANY freebies for writing this.  I have no relationship with Avon whatsoever.  I bought everything with my money, and wanted to put in my own two cents.

Let me know if you like it — or if you have a not ridiculously expensive product that you think works.  I need all the help I can get.

Still, these days, it’s hard not to succumb. We decided that not letting our kids have them was kind of like not letting your kids watch tv: it’s a recipe for making them socially incompatible with their peers. In our house we have one DSi per kid, and one Wii system. Nothing crazy – just enough to keep them from being weirdos, and keep me from going crazy when they can’t think of anything to do.

Still, the battle of “turn off your (fill in the electronic blank)” rages in my house.  They’re always in the middle of a level – if they stop now they’ll lose everything! I don’t want to be the ogre, shutting the game while they’re playing it (though I have.  it wasn’t pretty, but I did it.). Neither, however do I want them on those things as we walk to school in the morning, or wait for our food at a restaurant, or really anywhere other than the privacy of our own home during designated “screen time.” What’s a mother to do?

I found at last week went I went to the laughably hip W Hotel in Times Square (I say laughable because it’s soooooo self consciously hip that it’s like it’s making fun of itself)

That’s where the new Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver come in.  Because this latest version of the classic game (did you know it was an electronic game first and a card collecting thing after? News to me.) come with a Pokewalker.

The Pokewalker is that little flat looking pokeball type thing up there. (I realize that I’m speaking in Pokemon-ese here, if you don’t have a child in the house seven to eleven years old – most likely a boy – I might as well be writing in Swahili) Anyway – this two-inch diameter Pokewalker let’s players wirelessly transfer any one of their Pokémon from their handheld to the Pokéwalker.  Then,  as the player walks around in real life. their Pokemon walks through virtual routes as well.  And all your kid has to do is have the thing is his pocket!

You read  it right: your kid doesn’t have to play the game – doesn’t even have to touch the Pokewalker – and he’s still earning Watts – or points just for having it with him. They can either use the Watts within the Pokéwalker to encounter and catch wild Pokémon or search for hidden items, and transfer them into Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions to unlock new routes. There are even special versions of certain Pokémon that can only be found within routes on the Pokéwalker,  and the possibility that your kid will walk enough to go up a level. That means that with this game – at least some of the time – it’s better for your kid to walk around and exercise than to play the game.  Gotta love that.

As a mom who’s at best ambivalent about the DS, this is the greatest game ever.  Better order one now, it’s coming out on   March 14th, and for once, I think it’s gonna be the Moms waiting on line to buy one.

But seriously — it’s not even snowing.  It’s SLUSHING.  And I don’t care if that’s a word or not.  That’s what it’s doing.  And it sucks.

Even better, is that it’s going to be slushing non-stop until tomorrow afternoon, which means that by the end of the day tomorrow, there will be about six inches of slush on the ground, just in time for the temperature to rise up into the mid-forties, making the streets even MORE disgusting.  Yay!! Nothing like NYC slush on my dog’s paws to ruin a perfectly good upholstery job.

But rather than dwell on the yuck. (I know I’ve already dwelled, but too bad, baby!) I am offering a virtual solution.  Endless Ocean: Blue World, the Wii game that makes you feel like you’re scuba diving in warm tropical waters.  It may be totally gross and frozen in the real world, but out there in Wii world, it’s endless summer.

Endless Ocean^™: Blue World (click this link, it’ll take you to a trailer of the game) takes the original Nintendo ocean game to the next level, “with new features and story elements that create a mesmerizing aquatic odyssey for players of any age or experience level.” (can you tell I took that last bit straight from the Press Release?)

Endless Ocean: Blue World features an original story that players can follow as they choose. The plot involves Oceana, a girl who investigates the “Song of Dragons,” which her father, a prominent ocean explorer, sought before his death. As you swim around, you advance the story and go on new undersea adventures. Plus, if you happen to have a WiiSpeak microphone and a broadband connection, you can chat with friends(as long as they also have the microphone) while you play.

Wanna win it?  Leave a comment below telling me why your winter weather stinks, and you’ll be entered.  Link back to this post and you’ll be entered again.  Please note:  If you just write: I wanna win.  Or “Thanks for the chance to win” you won’t win.  You need to make some effort, people.  In this case, it involves telling me why your winter weather sucks worse than mine.

Now for the legal mumbo jumbo: Contest open to US residents 18 and older.  Winner will be chosen at random by random.org.  Contest ends Friday, March 5th at 10pm.

Happy virtual swimming!!